Justin Fields Bounces Back; Gets Loud Endorsement From Ex-Jets QB

Things move quickly in New York.

The perfect way to show this is by looking at the New York Jets' first two preseason games. In the first game, Justin Fields went 3-for-4 passing for 42 yards to go along with 14 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown. After the game, there was nothing but praise for the young signal-caller for days.

That hasn't been the case since the second preseason game. Fields struggled going 1-for-5 passing for four yards and five rushing yards. In both cases, these are extremely small sample sizes, but the reactions have been seemingly as if he played a whole game.

The chatter of the last few days has obviously been about the passing offense and how the sky is falling. Training camp is volatile. Teams are implementing new things and you're not always going to see a perfect product on the field. Things change day to day. The Jets hit the practice field on Tuesday and Fields came out swinging going 8-for-11 with a touchdown, per SNY's Connor Hughes.

"Justin Fields is 8 of 11 passing with a TD," Hughes said. "Incompletions are a miss/bad throw to Garrett Wilson, Breece Hall drop & throwaway. The touchdown was on a goal line drill. Pass in flat to Beck. Efficient day."

There are going to be good days and bad. At the end of the day, if Jets are trending in the right direction Week 1, that's all that matters. There was a lot of negative press out there for Fields, but some positive as well. For example, former Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez weighed in on Fields and had a lot of positive things to say.

Jets QB Justin Fields gets stamp of approval from former NY QB

Aug 16, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; New York Jets quarterback Justin Fields (7) throws a pass during the first half against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

"His ability to run is unmatched," Sanchez said. "He's one of the top rushing quarterbacks in this league. Still putting together his resume as a passer, but he looked sharp in the (Green Bay) game...

"You've got to play and cater your system to your players, to your personne. If it's a run-first team, there's nothing wrong with that. If the quarterback run is a threat, there's nothing wrong with that. That's just a section of the playbook. Your playbook might be 12 inches thick, but we only need these 6 right here and that's what we're going to major in..."I love the rushing attack they're going to have. They're going to get a ton of that from (Fields). Now it's about picking his spots – when it's time to take the shot, when it's time to check it down. And if he can do that -- if he can manage that -- I think we all know what a dynamic player he can be."

There's still a few weeks to go until the regular season kicks off. There will be more days in which Fields -- and the offense overall -- looks great. But, also some that won't be the case. No need to get too high or too low right now.

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